Gov. Chris Sununu delivered his final State of the State address, leaning heavily on the national rankings New Hampshire collected during his tenure, NH Journal reported. The speech ran under 30 minutes and drew Republican cheers on several of the governor’s signature policies while Democrats sat silent.
The governor set the tone from his first words, according to NH Journal.
“Fourth term, don’t care.” And with those words, Gov. Chris Sununu kicked off his final — and least consequential — State of the State address on Thursday.
NH Journal
Much of the address looked backward at the state’s standings rather than forward to new proposals for his remaining months in office.
In addition to the state’s top ranking for best taxpayer return on investment, economic freedom, and lowest poverty rate, Sununu threw in some new wins.
NH Journal
He highlighted a pair of newer accolades for the chamber, drawing attention to recent reports on the state’s workforce.
“Or here’s one: In two separate reports, our workforce is ranked as both the smartest and one of the most productive in the nation.”
NH Journal
The speech was light on specifics about the future, NH Journal noted, and the governor joked about the upcoming filing period before turning serious.
After his “fourth term, don’t care” quip, Sununu reminded the chamber that the filing period to run “doesn’t expire until June, so you never know.”
NH Journal
Three policy areas split the chamber cleanly along party lines.
Sununu touched on three policies that divided the chamber along partisan lines, getting cheers from Republicans but silence from Democrats: Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs), ending the interest and dividends income tax, and securing the border.
NH Journal
On education in particular, the governor pressed lawmakers to keep building on the school choice program.
Democrats sat grim-faced as Sununu touted the EFA program and urged the legislature to continue to expand access to the program.
NH Journal
Read the full story at NH Journal.
